Turkish Community

There has been a significant Turkish community in Kosovo ever since Ottoman rule was established in Kosovo in the fourteenth century. Generally, like the Albanian community, they practice Sunni Islam, the largest branch of Islam. So-called tarikats, Sufi brotherhoods – a religious branch originally deriving from Sunni Islam – are also active in Kosovo and foster strong relations with their counterparts in Turkey. For the most part, this community has been stable, integrated within Kosovar society, and active in all aspects of cultural, social and political life. Ottoman contributions to cultural and religious diversity in Kosovo are significant, and are embraced by both the Turkish and other communities in Kosovo. There remain a considerable number of Ottoman heritage sites in Kosovo, particularly mosques and bath houses.

There is one municipality, Mamuşa/Mamushë/Mamuša, wherethe Turkish community is the numerical majority. However, the largest numbers of Turks reside in the Prizren municipality. The Prishtinë/Priština municipality also has a considerable Turkish population. Smaller Turkish communities can be found throughout the rest of Kosovo.

Turkey’s National Sovereignty Day, 23 April, is recognised in Kosovo as the Day of the Turks and as an official Memorial Day.

Turks in Kosovo speak a local dialect of the Turkish language and use Standard Turkish for formal communication. In the 1974 Yugoslav Constitution, Turkish was named one of the official languages in Kosovo. However, in the first year of the UNMIK administration this official status was not recognised. Today, Turkish is recognized as an official language in the municipalities of Prizren and Mamuşa/Mamushë/Mamuša and has the status of a language in official use in the municipalities of Gjilan/Gnjilane, Prishtinë/Priština, Vushtrri/Vučitrn and Mitrovicë/Mitrovica.

The Turkish community has two (2) seats guaranteed in the Kosovo Assembly, and nominates three (3) members of the CCC.